Medications That Can
Affect The Way You Drive

Medications That Can Affect The Way You Drive

Driving is essential for most individual in order to get to work, school, the store, bank and other daily activities.

Driving is a skill that takes physical, mental and emotional conditioning to navigate the car and to drive safely.

Certain medications may have an affect on your ability to drive safely and should be taken with caution and you should be aware of the affect they can have on your driving ability.

There are many different kinds of medications that are taken for many reasons including medications that we take for allergies, anxiety, arthritis, colds and flu, depression, diabetes, cholesterol condition and heart condition, muscle spasms, and also pain relief.

Some medications for these reasons are prescription and some are over-the-counter. All of these medications can impact your ability to drive. Even dietary supplements and herbal remedies may have an affect on your ability to drive.

 Medications, supplements and herbal remedies can cause reactions such that make you sleepy or have blurred vision, make you dizzy, slow your movements, cause fainting, cause an inability to focus or pay attention and even cause nausea.

When individuals use more than one medication or mix medications with supplements or herbal remedies the combination can also have an adverse affect on the ability to drive.

Older individuals experience changes in their bodies which may make them more prone to being affected by medications, putting them at higher risk for being affected in their driving while taking certain medications, supplements or herbal remedies.

Drugs Symptoms Enteral is a form of administering medication via the gastrointestinal tract (mouth, gastric feeding tube, or rectally. Parenteral or by injection or infusion is how many vasodilator drugs, vaccines, and drugs used during cardiopulmonary resuscitation are given. Drugs and Medicine

 

To avoid driving problems while taking medications, supplements or herbal remedies it is best to speak with your doctor about the medications both prescription and over-the-counter as well as any supplements (vitamin or dietary) and herbal remedies that you are taking so that your doctor can tell you if the combination can affect your driving ability.

Most people can drive safely while taking medications; depending on both the medication and on the effect the medication has on you. Medications will have warnings on the label if they cause drowsiness.

Medications Drugs If there is family history of medication allergies you are more likely to develop a medication allergy. Make sure you tell your pharmacist about your medication allergy. A medication allergy is caused by an over-sensitive immune system. The individual with a medication allergy has an immune system that attacks the medication as if it were a harmful substance. Drugs and Medicine

Your doctor can make a change in dosage timing or adjust the dose, or even change the medication in order to make it safer for you to drive.

Read all medication labels carefully before you take them to see if there is any warning about driving while taking the medication.

If there is talk to your doctor before taking the medication or before you have to drive so that the doctor can make any necessary changes.

It is a good idea to ask the doctor about driving and taking the medication while you are still in the doctor's office.

Your pharmacist is another source of information about medication and driving. It is wise not to drive when you take a new medication until you know how the medication will affect you.

Your pharmacist may know about not only your prescription but about any supplements or herbal remedies that you are also taking and the ability to drive while taking them.

Alternatives to driving while taking medications:

Ask family members or friends for rides

Use a taxicab

Use a bus or shuttle van

Use other forms of public transportation. Some communities have senior buses

Walking is good exercise